Good Value For Xmass Gift Givers

[k3eax]

https://www.birminghampens.com/collections/holiday-packs/products/bulow-750-gift-set-holiday-pack?utm_source=The+Birmingham+Pen+Company&utm_campaign=30cfb8ba43-MAILCHIMP_CAMPAIGN_12-9-2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6c43a591ca-30cfb8ba43-117562237&mc_cid=30cfb8ba43&mc_eid=9472b531ee

[Sasha Royale]

Suggestion : Before wrapping, give the pen a thorough soapy flush and clean rinse, then dry. Plastic molding mass production sometimes leaves mold-release residue. It is a petroleum film. The pen works better when it is removed. I pre-flush all my my new pens before first ink.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Sasha Royale

[k3eax]

That's good suggestion Sasha as a non-working pen given as gift will not only be unappreciated but also fail to bring the receiver into the fold of fountain pen users. I think most here are aware that the Bulow is actually a re-branded Jinhao X750.

Edited December 10, 2017 by k3eax

[Honeybadgers]

I don't think Jinhao's are good gifts for first timers. They write super wet and the section is still prone to pitting, plus general modest QC issues still plague jinhao.

 

It's too late to get them in time for christmas, but the wing sung 3008 is a much better cheap pen for gifts, as is the wing sung 6359 (lamy al star knockoff)

 

 

Also of consideration are the caliarts ego, the delike alpha brass pen (get a cheap pack of converters to replace the delike's converter with since it's not well made) wing sung 618, pilot metro and platinum plasir.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Honeybadgers

[EMQG]

I don't think Jinhao's are good gifts for first timers. They write super wet and the section is still prone to pitting, plus general modest QC issues still plague jinhao.

 

It's too late to get them in time for christmas, but the wing sung 3008 is a much better cheap pen for gifts, as is the wing sung 6359 (lamy al star knockoff)

 

 

Also of consideration are the caliarts ego, the delike alpha brass pen (get a cheap pack of converters to replace the delike's converter with since it's not well made) wing sung 618, pilot metro and platinum plasir.

How in the world did you leave the Lecai off your list?

 

Good points, though. Jinhao x750s are decent pens for the price, but not good beginner pens for all those reasons.

[Honeybadgers]

Eyedroppers are a little much to ask of a first time fountain pen user. Also the lecai comes with a syringe that is literally a hypodermic needle, so you'd need to sand the points down.

 

Also they're closer to $10. If they were $5, they'd be on my list.

[k3eax]

I don't think Jinhao's are good gifts for first timers. They write super wet and the section is still prone to pitting, plus general modest QC issues still plague jinhao.

 

It's too late to get them in time for christmas, but the wing sung 3008 is a much better cheap pen for gifts, as is the wing sung 6359 (lamy al star knockoff)

 

 

Also of consideration are the caliarts ego, the delike alpha brass pen (get a cheap pack of converters to replace the delike's converter with since it's not well made) wing sung 618, pilot metro and platinum plasir.

 

 

The box makes for a nice presentation, the pen is aesthetically pleasing, and I I disagree with much of what you said about the Jinhao's writing qualities. In short, for $5 postpaid it a good choice for the pen enthusiast to give as a gift.

[AmandaW]

Unfortunately the Jinhao x750 does tend to evaporate the ink in dry climates.

 

The 'bone dry pen next time I tried to use it' was the thing that put me off fountain pens for several decades.

[Honeybadgers]

I really disagree on everything but the box, which I agree looks awesome.

 

The Jinhao is famous for two things - super wet, followed by super dry. It doesn't have a well regulated feed, so after about a half page, it dries up. And a super wet pen is also a bad idea for a first timer, since they're 99% of the time writing on bad paper, so you're giving them a pen that bleeds and feathers.

 

Also, the slip cap can sometimes come dislodged and the grip of the 750 (not so much the 450) is made of a weird plastic that pits really quickly. And they are not the best sealed, so drying out when sitting for a week is not uncommon.

 

When you're giving someone a fountain pen, you want it to be absolutely certain that it will be ZERO hassle, because coming from ballpoints and rollerballs, the INSTANT someone has a problem with their first fountain pen, if it's less than six months into owning it, they're throwing it in a drawer and it will never come out again. You want a fine to EF, medium flowing nib that doesn't dry out, is easy to clean and will not give the owner a single problem for at least six months to a year.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like jinhao. I have three 750's and three 450's, two 159's, a 1009, a 101, a 156 on the way and a fistful of 992's, and the red with gold water spot laquer is one of the coolest finishes on any pen in my eye. But they're not a good first pen. But I give away enough pens to know what makes people stop using them - poor performance on bad paper, inconsistent flow, drying out, and build quality. The wing sung 3008 is the only one that ticks all the boxes and comes in at under $3 a pen.

 

I can't say that I can find a box online that matches that, but in the end, you're giving someone a pen, not a box. There are nice enough paper boxes on ebay for under $1 each. which brings the total investment down under the price on birmingham.

 

Also gotta factor in ink either way. A cheaper way than cartridges (and better in most cases) is to get a bottle of inexpensive ink like waterman blue or noodlers black swan in aussie roses (I tend to go for a well behaved ink that has more "wow" factor than basic blue) and a few sample Vials. Fill 'em up to the brim and give maybe two vials with different colors to each person.

 

If the jinhao 992 was made from a proper plastic that didn't crack, THAT would be the gift pen to beat.

 

If you bought them already, then of course give them as gifts! Don't let me (bleep) in your cornflakes, I DO like the x750. Just tell everyone who gets one to use it regularly and clean it once a month, and make sure you flush them with warm soapy water and rinse /leave to dry uncapped for a couple days to get rid of any machining oils.

 

Another good gift that I totally spaced on is the Pilot Penmanship, which costs under $5 and comes with a pilot black cartridge, a spectacular EF nib (which is great for newbies since it will write on any paper) and can be eyedropper converted. Little weird shape, but a solid writer. And if they ever upgrade to a prera or metropolitan, no other pilot steel nibbed pen is offered with the EF in the penmanship.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Honeybadgers

[Intensity]

I've just received my order of inks from Birmingham Pen Company, and they included a free Bullow pen in matte black (I like it!) I was curious to see it up close, as I own a couple of Jinhao X750, which use the same barrel, though mine is a sparkle black and a stainless steel (love the former, dislike the latter). While the nib looks the same as my Jinhao X750 nib, except for the Bullow engraving, it's surprisingly softer and more flexible than the generic X750 nibs in my other pens--I actually substituted one of the generic ones with a Nemosine 0.8mm stub. I've looked closely, and the pattern on the nib differs slightly between the two types: the generic Jinhao has a doric square pattern along the sides, whereas the Bullow-engraved one has a swirly curved pattern. Also the Bullow version comes with an upgraded converter that has a metallic copper-toned top ring instead of the standard chrome and also has a plastic ink agitator ball. The cap is still too tight, unsurprisingly. Anyway, it's a pleasant surprise to receive this pen, and I'll put it to use.